Lampung Community Alliance Urges Continuation of Free Nutritious Meal Programme

A coalition of residents under the Lampung Community Alliance (AMAL) held a peaceful demonstration to demand the continuation of the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) programme, which they say delivers real benefits to ordinary people. ‘We are voicing the aspirations of the grassroots community who directly feel the benefits of the MBG programme. Some of us also work in the kitchens of the Nutrition Fulfilment Service Units (SPPG), so this programme is very pro-people and must be continued,’ said AMAL representative Yunanda in Bandarlampung on Monday. He stated that the MBG programme not only helps beneficiaries but also creates jobs, particularly for those working in the SPPG kitchens. He stressed that the public took to the streets to demand the pro-people programme not be halted amid circulating rumours of its possible termination. ‘The MBG is greatly needed, especially for schoolchildren. For example, in the Panjang area, there are pupils who come to school hungry and are helped by this programme,’ he said. He also conveyed that a segment of Lampung’s population supports the President’s policies in continuing programmes that favour the underprivileged. ‘We do not question the implementation mechanism, as long as the MBG continues and its benefits can be felt by the community. We only ask that the MBG not be stopped. The mechanism can be fixed; what matters is that the programme remains,’ he said. He also urged the government to improve the governance of the MBG programme to make it more transparent and accountable, and to prosecute individuals who commit corruption within the programme. ‘We fully support this programme, but its governance must be improved. If there are corrupt individuals, they must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,’ he said. Meanwhile, MBG volunteer Safri expressed that he has been greatly helped by the programme, as it provides him with an income. ‘For me, this programme must continue because it has helped many people, not only by providing nutritious food to children but also by creating jobs,’ he said. He thanked the President, saying the programme has indirectly improved his family’s economy. ‘I work at the SPPG in Central Lampung Regency. Previously I was unemployed, but because of this programme I have an income and my children are also helped nutritionally by the MBG,’ he said. Another MBG volunteer from East Lampung, Yunita, said the programme has been very beneficial for her family. ‘I have been working at the SPPG in East Lampung for seven months as a lunchbox washer. Previously I was just a farm labourer; by working at the SPPG I have a guaranteed salary, which I am certainly grateful for,’ she said. She added that it would be a great pity if this pro-people programme were stopped, as many people would become unemployed. ‘I hope this programme continues because people like us, the little people, really need it,’ she said. The demands put forward by the Lampung Community Alliance include retaining and continuing the Free Nutritious Meal Programme as a national priority programme that provides tangible benefits to the community; ensuring the sustainability and expansion of the MBG programme’s benefits so it can reach all target recipients accurately and equitably; arresting and prosecuting all corrupt actors involved in the misuse of the Free Nutritious Meal Programme’s budget or implementation without discrimination; conducting a comprehensive audit and evaluation of the MBG programme’s governance to ensure transparency, accountability, and implementation effectiveness; imposing strict sanctions on parties committing fraud, whether individuals or institutions proven to have harmed the public and the state; and strengthening public oversight by involving the community, supervisory bodies, and relevant elements in monitoring the MBG programme.